Related Articles

Tour a famous historic estate or spend a summer day at a water park in northern Virginia. Maryland and Washington, D.C. border Virginia to the north and offer visitors access to a region of tourist attractions and destinations. Virginia's northern region includes the cities of Alexandria, Mount Vernon, Woodbridge and Arlington and is served by two international airports: Washington Dulles and Ronald Reagan. Spend a day or a week exploring the parks and attractions of northern Virginia.

Volcano Island Water Park

Guests can play a round of 18 holes of miniature golf or glide down a 230-ft. open slide into refreshing waters at the Volcano Island Water Park (volcanoislandwaterpark.com) in northern Virginia. A 500-gallon dumping bucket serves as the focal point of the tropical-themed water park, with other features including tube slides, water squirters, fountains and platforms. A 170-ft. enclosed slide allows riders to slide in darkness, while the 1- to 2-ft. deep shallow areas are ideal for young visitors. Outdoor games, shelter rentals and a cafe are also available to visitors at the park, which is located at Algonkian Regional Park (nvrpa.org/park/algonkian)on the Maryland border 10 miles north of Reston.

Temple Hall Farm Regional Park

Visit 286-acre Temple Hall Farm Regional Park (nvrpa.org) to experience farm life for a day. Located in Loudon County, the working farm features farm animals, such as cows, sheep, pigs and miniature horses, and crops such as corn that becomes a giant maize each autumn during a fall festival. Bring along a picnic lunch to have after a morning spent exploring the farm or strolling near the farm's brookside trail. An outdoor classroom also serves as a venue for groups to meet and for the farm's educational programs. Temple Hall Farm Regional Park is open from April through November each year and is located five miles north of Leesburg.

Pohick Bay Regional Park

You can rent a sailboat, kayak or canoe at 1,003-acre Pohick Bay Regional Park (nvrpa.org), one of three water access sites on the Potomac River in northern Virginia. Rustic cabins with bunk beds and 150 campsites are available to reserve for visitors planning an overnight stay at the park, and the Pirate's Cove water park is located nearby. You can hike on 8 1/2 miles of trails through the park and continue on to neighboring 1,814-acre Mason Neck State Park (dcr.virginia.gov) for access to seven more miles of trails. Horseback riding is also permitted on slightly more than three miles of trails at Pohick Bay Regional Park, four miles east of Interstate 95 near Woodbridge.

Mount Vernon

Open 365 days a year, Mount Vernon (mountvernon.org) is one of northern Virginia's most well-known and historically significant tourist attractions. The estate and beloved home of George and Martha Washington from 1759 to 1799, Mount Vernon began as a 2,000-acre plantation with a six-room home and expanded to 8,000 acres with a 21-room mansion during Washington's time at the estate. Visitors today may tour four gardens, the mansion, several outbuildings, a four-acre farm with barn and burial grounds. View 500 artifacts and tour 25 theaters and galleries at the estate's museum and education center detailing the history of the first U.S. president.

About the Author

Michelle Hornaday lives in Edmonds, Washington and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Washington State University and a Master of Education from Northern Arizona University. She is currently a freelance writer for various websites.

Leaf Group is a USA TODAY content partner providing general travel information. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY.

Photo Credits

Creatas Images/Creatas/Getty Images

Cite this ArticleA tool to create a citation to reference this article Cite this Article